Loooong Road Home

Well, our two and a half week odyssey was full of fun, family, and friends, but we were happy to be on our way home down Highway 7 back to Ottawa. We were planning to get home, unpack, and relax with a quiet evening at home as a family. Arlo had other plans however, and the trip took.....longer than "usual". Here are some pics of us just East of Silver Lake, taking a breather and letting Arlo get a rest from the car seat. It was good to get home... finally.

Arlo's Gone Hollywood!

Arlo was loving the camera for this photoshoot, and loving the sunglasses and outfit Auntie Jamie, Cousin Brook-Lyn, and Allen gave him. He's ready for the paparazzi.

Looking Good for Auntie Kim

Arlo got all dressed up for his visit with Auntie Kim. He really enjoyed the three nights he spent in Mississauga with his cousin Katie and Uncle Terry. It was great to spend a few relaxing days together.

First Swim

Arlo has been hit and miss in the car over the course of our trip home. He wailed from the cottage to Lindsay (I guess he didn't want to leave), making our trip twice as long as normal. Then he was happy as a clam for the drive from Lindsay to Rob and Nicole's place in Whitby a day later. We escaped the heat in their pool, and Arlo got a chance to go right in for a swim for the first time. As you can see he didn't love it initially, but he warmed up to it pretty quick.

Arlo really loved hanging out with Rob and Nicole, and their kids Danielle and Reid. He is fussing a bit in this picture, but it didn't last long. It was great to relax and catch up with them. They are expecting a little girl in just a few weeks. Arlo can't wait to meet her, but Rob might have something to say about that....

Good to Get Away

It was really good to get away from it all at the cottage for a few days. Our little trip home was almost three weeks long, and busy, but there were restful days like this one we spent down on the dock at Grandma and Grandpa K's place.


The fresh air made Arlo too sleepy to listen to Mom and Dad talk about the stone pathway they built many summers ago at the cottage, but here is a shot of him and Mom at the bottom of that path by the water.

Coolin at the Cottage

Arlo was really taken in by the thousand shades of green he saw in the forest at the cottage. As you can see all the fresh air and sunshine really helped him to relax.


Arlo and his Mama chilled down by the water, watching the ducks, loons, herons, and fishies go by. Check out the cool 'poor boy' hat he was sporting to keep the sun off his head. Seven weeks old and stylin!

Arlo is ready to help out his Grandpa Larry and his Daddy around the cottage with his very own Arlo sized wheelbarrow. This wheelbarrow belonged to a student in Ray's class, named Mikeala, who loved it when she was young, so she fixed it up, repainted it, and gave it to little Arlo to enjoy (along with some of her fav books and other toys). After spending all day yesterday moving dirt and building 4 foot tall retaining wall along the whole front of the cottage, Ray can't wait for Arlo to be able to start lugging dirt and pitching in.

Arlo didn't go all the way in, but he did test the waters on Drag Lake, in Haliburton, by getting in with his Daddy, and dangling his feet in the lake. Arlo and Daddy thought the water was a beautiful temperature for a hot summer day. He is dying to take the kayak or canoe for a spin.

Bath Time

Arlo loves bath time, and his mom thinks he has the cutest bum. So far he hasn't left any floaters in the bathwater, but it will happen sooner or later.

Here he is in the sink at his grandparent's place in Lindsay. Soon he won't be fitting in a sink any more. Arlo has already grown almost three inches, and is between ten and eleven pounds. Daddy is pretty sure he will have the size for a middle linebacker, or defensive end.

Five Generations Together

Arlo's Great Great Great Aunt Janet came for a visit at his Grandpa Ron's place this past weekend, along with Arlo's Great Grandma Eleanor. Aunt Janet is Jenny's Great Grandma's only surviviving sister. Arlo felt super lucky to be able to be part of a gathering of 5 generations in one place.

Wake Up!

Jenny got some well deserved time to herself this morning, because her boys slept, and slept, and slept. Arlo takes after his daddy at least a little bit it seems.

A Brand New Canadian

Arlo celebrated his first Canada Day this past week, hanging with his folks, and the Queen, up on Parliament Hill. The crowds were thicker, and pushier, than any of the Canada Days Ray and Jenny had been to before, but Arlo wasn't bothered at all. He enjoyed the music (the Barenaked Ladies played for the Queen, along with a strange assortement of other acts), he jumped when the Snowbirds did their fly-bys, and, surprisingly, he just slept soundly in Ray's arms throughout the 21 gun salute (with booming cannons) that scared the life out of most of the other kids on the hill. Of course no Canada Day would be complete without some time on a patio in the Byward Market, so while his parents enjoyed a couple of frosty beverages, he checked out the sea of people in red and white that wandered past (they said 300 000 were downtown that day, but that is always the number they give, and it was way busier than most years, so Arlo guesses at half a million).